WASHINGTON (The Thursday Times) — The Trump administration plans to begin deporting Afghan immigrants as soon as Monday, sending them through Pakistan because Washington has no diplomatic ties with the Taliban, a US official and advocacy groups said on Friday.
More than 150 Afghans are expected to be removed in one of the largest single expulsions of Afghans from the United States, The New York Times reported. Dozens have been detained in Louisiana ahead of the first flight, according to the paper. A US official told Reuters the deportations would be routed via Pakistan, as the US cannot arrange removals directly to Afghanistan.
The Department of Homeland Security said it would not confirm future removal operations, citing operational security, and the destination of the flights has not been officially announced. NBC News reported that the plans could also affect Afghan refugees housed at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar, where Washington has repeatedly pushed back deadlines to empty the facility.
Many of those facing removal fled after the Taliban takeover in 2021. Some are “brothers and sons of men who served alongside US forces, families the Taliban already has every reason to target,” said Shawn VanDiver, head of the advocacy group AfghanEvac, which accused the administration of timing the flights for when attention was on next week’s midterm elections, “hoping no one is watching”.
VanDiver urged Congress to grant Afghans in the US temporary protected status to shield them from deportation.
